Dishwashing machine



United States Patent 1/1949 Sellars 3/1953 Spitzer 2,786,480 3/1957Hofer......

Constanceetal. 3,207,167 9/1965 Edstrom.......................

a r u Z .l 6 9 l l. 1. 0 7 9 0 w 3 tge Primary Examiner-Robert L. BleuAttorney-Edmund A. Fenander a corporation of Sweden ABSTRACT:Dishwashing apparatus having a spraying device [54] DISHWASHING MACHINErotatable about an axis and to which liquid under pressure is suppliedthrough a supply line, the spraying device including 4 Claims, 5 DrawingFigs.

an elongated hollow member conne th e supply line and having openingstherein from w jets are discharged toward dishes to be washe memberbeing rotatable about its Ion mechanism for effecting movement of aboutits longitudinal axis responsive to rotation of the spray- [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,759,439 5/1930 Coles........

ing device to change the direction of the liquid jets discharged fromthe openings and direct the liquid in a multiplicity of 239/244directions toward the dishes to be washed.

msnwssmnc MACHINE SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION My invention relates todishwashing machines having a cabinet in which dishes and the like arecleansed. by liquid jets from spraying devices.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved dishwashingmachine which is convenient to use and reliable in operation. Iaccomplish this by providing a rotatable spraying device which includesan elongated hollow member which is connected to receive liquid underpressure through a supply line and is provided with openings from whichliquid jets are discharged toward the dishes to be washed. In order tochange the directionaof the liquid jets discharged from the openings anddirect the liquid in a multiplicity of directions toward the dishes tobe washed. the hollow member is mounted for rotution about itslongitudinal axis and mechanism is provided for positively turning thehollow member about its longitudinal axis responsive to rotation of thespraying device.

The mechanism for effecting movement of the hollow member about itslongitudinal axis may comprise gearing which includes a gear fixed toand movable with the hollow member about its longitudinal axis and astationary toothed rack fixed to structure upon which the sprayingdevice is rotatably mounted and with which the gear coacts.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the spraying device mayinclude first and second hollow arms extending outward from its axis ofrotation and each having openings from which liquid jets are dischargedtoward the dishes to be washed. The first arm is immovable about itslongitudinal axis and the second arm, which constitutes the hollowmember, is movable orturnable about its longitudinal axis. Mechanism isprovided for turning thesecond arm about its longitudinal axisresponsive to rotation of the spraying device. Further, the openings aredistributed on the first arm and of such size that the resultantreaction force developed by the. jets will effect rotation of thespraying device in one direction. The resultant reaction force developedby the liquid jets discharged from the openings in thesecond arm, whichare at one side of a vertical plane passing throughthe longitudinal axisof the second arm, is such thatit will substantially balance theresultant reaction force developed by the liquid jets discharged fromthe openings in the second arm which are at the other side of suchvertical plane, so that the second arm will be substantially ineffectiveto impart rotating movement to the spraying device.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds, and the features ofnovelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thespecification.

BRIEFDESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING In the drawing,FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a dishwashing machine embodyingmy invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged'fragmentary sectional view of parts shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary elevationalview, partly broken away and insection, of parts shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG; 4 illustrating anotherembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED usscmPnoN Referring to the drawing, a dishwashing machine whichi have shown embodying my invention comprises a cabinet or outer shell11 within which is disposed an inner shell 12. The outer and innershells 11 and 12 define a space 14 therebetween in which parts of thedishwashing machine 10 are disposed, as will be explained presently. Theinner shell 12 defines the interior 15 of the dishwashing machine whichhas an access opening 16 adapted to be closed by a door 17. The

door 17 is hinged at its bottom'edge at 18 to a region of the machine atwhich parts of the outer and inner shells 1'1 and 12 are united to oneanother.

The dishes to be washed are adapted to be carried by top and bottom dishracks l9 and 20, respectively. Each of the dish racks 19 and 20 ishorizontally movable into and from the interior 15 of the cabinet 11through the access opening 16 in any well known manner (not shown). Forexample, the opposing lateral side walls of the interior 15 of thecabinet 11 may be provided with horizontal guide members along which thedish racks l9'and 20 are movable to enable the racks to be inserted intoand withdrawn from the cabinet.

A pair of spraying devices 21 and 22 are disposed one above anotherwithin the interior 15 of the cabinet. The bottom spraying device 22comprises a rotatable member having radially extending arms 22a formedwith openings 22b through which liquid jets are discharged. The bottomspraying device 22 is mounted for rotation about a hollow hub member 22cwhich is supported in any suitable manner (not shown) within theinterior 15 of the cabinet 11. The hub member 22c is connected toreceive liquid through a conduit 23 from the outlet of a pump 24 whichis mounted in any suitable manner in the space 14 between the outer andinner shells 11 and 12.

The liquid flows under pressure through openings 23a in the upper end ofconduit 23 into the hub member 22c and from the latter into the arms 22afrom which liquid jets are discharged through the openings 22b towardthe dishes to be washed, the radial arms 22a being caused to rotate inone direction by the reaction forces developed by the liquid jets. Thus,rotating movement is imparted to the arms 22a responsive to supply ofliquid under pressure to the openings 22b from which the liquid jets aredischarged. The inner shell 12 is formed with a sump 25 into whichliquid in the interior 15 of the cabinet 11 drains. From the sump 25liquid flows through a conduit 26 to the inlet of the pump 24.

The top spraying device 21 comprises a rotatable member includingradially extending arms 27 and 28 formed with openings 27a and 28athrough which liquid jets are discharged. The inner ends of the arms 27and 28 receive liquid from a hub member 29 fixed to the lower end of ahollow vertical sleeve 30 rotatable within a housing 31. The top of thehousing 31 is formed with a shoulder 32 against which bears a collar 33fixed at 34 to the upper part of the sleeve 30. With this constructionthe shoulder 32 functions as a thrust bearing for supporting thevertical sleeve 30 and the top spraying device 21 at the lower end ofthe sleeve.

The hollow sleeve 30 intermediate its ends is formed with openings 35for liquid to flow into the sleeve from a chamber 36 which is defined bythe housing 31 and disposed about the sleeve. Liquid is introduced intothe chamber 36 of the housing 31 through a conduit 37 and a conduit 38which is connected to receive liquid from the outlet of the pump 24.

In accordance with my invention, the top spraying device 21 forms aunitary component of the top dish rack 19 and is movable therewith. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conduit 37 is supported by. fixed brackets39 which in turn are mounted on the top dish rack 19. The inner end ofthe conduit 37 is fixed at 40 in an opening in the housing 31 at thevicinity of the chamber 36 therein. Hence, the spraying device 21,hollow sleeve 30, housing 31 and conduit 37 are carriedby the brackets39 mounted on the top dish rack 19.

As seen in FIG. I, the outer end of the conduit 37 is funnelshaped at 41and cooperates with a similarly shaped part 42 defining an opening inthe inner shell 12 and at which region the upper end of'conduit 38 isfixed. With this construction the funnel-shaped end 41 of the conduit 37and the similar shaped part 42 at the opening in the inner shellcooperate to form a liquid-tight seal when the top dish rack 19 is movedrearward in the interior 15 of the cabinet 11. If desired, thefunnel-shaped end 41 of the conduit 37 and the similar shaped part 42 atthe opening in the inner shell 12 may be provided with outer surfaces ofsuitable resilient material to insure forming a liquid-tight joint whenthese parts are moved into abutting relation. When the top dish rack 19is moved within the cabinet 11, the dish rack may be urged rearward inany suitable manner responsive to closing of the door 17 to force therear end 41 of the conduit 37 into sealing engagement with the part 42at the opening in the inner shell 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, theupper part of the hollow sleeve 30 may be formed with spaced verticalslits 43 through which liquid jets are discharged toward the dishes tobe washed.

The inner ends of the hollow arms 27 and 28 of the top spraying device21 are seated in diametrically opposite is at a right angle to thelongitudinal axes of the arms 27 and 28 and has an opening 45a throughwhich the rod 44 extends. The partition 45 is formed to receive athreaded set screw 45b which is accessible exteriorly of the hub member29 and functions to secure the rod 44 to the partition 45 and preventaxial movement of the rod. By tightening the nut 27d at the threaded endof the rod 44, the hollow arm 27 can be fixed to the rod 44 and firmlyanchored to the hub member 29.

As shown in FIG. 4, the openings 27a are formed in two rows at one sideof the hollow arm 27. The openings 27a on the top and bottom rows are invertical alignment and of the same size. When liquid under pressureflows from the pump 24 through conduits 38 and 37, chamber 36 of thehousing 31, hollow sleeve 30 and hub 29 into the arm 27, such liquid isdischarged from the arm 27 toward the dishes to be washed through theopenings 27a in the general direction ofthc arrow A in FIG. 4. Since theopenings 27a in the top and bottom rows of openings are of the same sizeand at the same acute angle a above and below the horizontal, the hollowarm 27 is caused to move in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 4 bythe reaction forces developed by the liquid jets discharged from theopenings 27a. 7

In accordance with my invention, in order to change the direction of theliquid jets discharged from the openings 28a of the other arm 28 of thetop spraying device 21 and direct the liquid in a multiplicity ofdirections toward the dishes to be washed, rotating movement is impartedto the arm 28 about its longitudinal axis responsive to rotation of thetop spraying device 21. I accomplish this by rotatably mounting the arm28 on the rod 44 and providing mechanism for turning the arm 28 aboutits longitudinal axis when the top spraying device 21 is rotated.

The inner end of the hollow arm 28 is seated in the opening 29!) in thehollow hub member 29 and provides a connection whereby the arm 28 isturnable in the hub opening 29b. The nut 28d at the outer threaded endof the rod 44 is moved inward on the rod to prevent excessive axialmovement of the arm 28 on the rod and at the same time permit the arm 28to turn on the rod while the inner end of the arm remains seated in thehub opening 29!).

A ring-shaped gear 46 having teeth 46a is fixed at 47 to the inner endofthe arm 28 and rotatable therewith. The teeth 46a of gear 46 mesh withthe teeth 48 of a circular stationary rack 49 formed at the bottom ofthe housing 31. When rotating movement is imparted to the arm 27 of thetop spraying device 21 in the direction of the arrow B due to thereaction forces developed by the liquid jets discharged from theopenings 27a in the direction of the arrow A, the arm 28 also rotates ina horizontal plane about the vertical axis of the upright hollow sleeve30. During such rotating movement of the arm 28 in the horizontal plane,the gear 46 moves along the circular stationary rack 49, the teeth 48 ofthe stationary rack meshing with the teeth 46a of the gear 46 wherebyturning movement will be imparted to the gear 46. Since the gear 46 isfixed to the arm 28, turning movement also will be imparted to the arm28 and the latter will rotate about the longitudinal axis of the rod 44.

The arm 28 may be provided with two horizontal rows of openings 28::which are diametrically opposite one another. Thus, when the openings28a in one row are positioned to discharge liquid jets verticallyupward, the openings 28a in the other row are positioned to dischargeliquid jets vertically downward. Further, successive openings 28a in thetwo rows, from the inner to the outer end of the arm 28, desirably arein vertical alignment. It will now be understood that when the topspraying device 21 rotates in a horizontal plane about its verticalaxis, rotating movement will be imparted to both the hollow arms 27 and28 by the reaction forces developed by the liquid jets discharged fromthe openings 27a in the arm 27. During such rotation of the top sprayingdevice 21 in the hollow arm 28 will turn about its longitudinal axis,thereby constantly turning the liquid jets discharged from the two rowsof openings 28a. In this way the direction the liquid jets dischargefrom the openings 280 will be constantly changing and liquid will bedirected in a multiplicity of directions toward the dishes to be washed.Further, since the openings 28a in the two rows of openings in the arm28 are always diametrically opposite one another, reaction forcesdeveloped by the liquid jets discharged from one row of openings 28awill counteract the reaction forces developed by the liquid jetsdischarged from the other row of openings 2811, so that the resultantreaction force will be practically zero and ineffective to impartrotating movement about a vertical axis to the arm 28 of the topspraying device 21.

In view of the foregoing, it will now be understood that the mechanismfor effecting movement of the hollow member or arm 28 about itslongitudinal axis comprises gearing including the gear 46 fixed to andturnable with the hollow member 28 and the stationary toothed rack 49.The gear 46 engages the rack 49 which is fixed to the structure orhousing 3i upon which the spraying device 21 is mounted for rotation. Ifdesired, the gear 46 and toothed rack 49 may be beveled. Also, the gear46 and stationary toothed rack 49 may have a gear ratio that differsslightly from 1:1.

The housing 31 upon which the spraying device 21 is mounted for rotationmay be referred to as a part. As explained above, the hollow uprightsleeve 30 is journaled for rotation on the housing or part 31, the topsection of the sleeve projecting upward from the top of the part 31. Thesleeve 30, which defines a portion of the liquid supply line, is formedwith openings 43 in the top section thereof through which liquid jetsare discharged toward dishes to be washed.

The arm 27 of the top spraying device 21 in a broad sense may bereferred to as a part or member which functions to rotate the sprayingdevice 21 responsive to pressure of liquid supplied thereto. In theembodiment of the invention described above and shown in FIGS. 2 and 4,the openings 27a are distributed in the arm 27 and of such size that theresultant reaction force developed by the jets will effect rotation ofthe spraying device in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 4.

It is possible to provide openings at both sides of the arm 27 to effectrotation of the spraying device. Such a modification is shown in FIG. 5in which openings 127a in arm I27 correspond to openings 27a in FIG. 4.However, in FIG. 5 additional openings 127a are provided at the oppositeside of the arm 127 from the openings 127a. It will be seen that theopenings 127a, which are at the same angle [3 above and below thehorizontal, are materially smaller than the openings 127a. Hence, theresultant reaction force developed by the liquid jets discharged fromthe openings 127a in the direction of the arrow A, which are at one sideof a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the arm127, will be greater than the resultant reaction force developed by theliquid jets discharged in the direction of the arrow B from the openings127a which are at the other side of such vertical plane, wherebyrotating movement will be imparted to the spraying device in thedirection of the arrow B.

The resultant reaction force developed by the liquid jets dischargedfrom the openings 28a in the arm 28, which are at one side of a Verticalplane passing through the longitudinal axis of the arm 28,-substantially balance the resultant reaction force developed by theliquid jets discharged from the openings 28a which are at the other sideof such vertical plane, thereby rendering the second arm substantiallyineffective to impart rotating movement to the spraying device 21.,

Although i have shown and described a particular embodiment of myinvention. 1 do not desire to be limited to the particulsr arrangementset forth, and I intend in the following claims to cover allmodifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

I claim:

l. in dishwashing apparatus, a spraying device, structure for mountingsaid spraying device for rotation about an axis, a supply line forsupplying liquid under pressure to said spraying device, means to effectrotation of said spraying device, said rotatable spraying deviceincluding an elongated hollow member connected to receive liquid fromsaid supply line, said hollow member having openings therein from whichliquid jets are discharged toward dishes to be washed, said sprayingmeans for fixing said mounting structure for said spraying device onsaid dish rack whereby said spraying device becomes a unitary componentof said rack, said mounting structure having a passageway forming a partof said liquid supply line, a conduit carried by said dish rack whichalso forms a part of said liquid supply line, said conduit having itsforward end communicating with the passageway in said mounting structurefor said spraying device, and the opposite rear end of said conduitbeing disposed within said cabinet at the rear thereof when said dishrack is positioned in said cabinet and said door is closed.

2. Dishwashing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which said means forfixing said mounting structure for said spraying device on said dishrack includes said conduit.

3. Dishwashing apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the liquidsupply line includes a pipe having an outlet for discharging liquidtherefrom into said cabinet at the rear thereof, and the rear end ofsaid conduit being in liquid communication with the outlet of said pipewhen said dish rack is positioned in said cabinet and said door isclosed.

4. Dishwashing apparatus as set forth in claim 3 in which the rear ofsaid conduit and the outlet of said pipe are in alignment and formcooperating members of a detachable connection when said dish rack ispositioned in said cabinet and said door Y is closed, and at least oneof said last-mentioned members having an outer surface formed ofresilient material to form a substantialiy liquid-tight sea]therebetween.

